Wilson’s route to the top was unusually measured. Born Ramon Wilson, he worked as an apprentice railwayman while training with Huddersfield Town, eventually becoming the club’s most-capped player. Bill Shankly managed him at Huddersfield, where Wilson’s discipline and reading of the game began to define his career.
Everton signed him when he was approaching 30, already established as England’s first-choice left-back. A hip injury delayed his start at Goodison Park, but once fit, Wilson became a trusted presence in Harry Catterick’s side.
The defining year was 1966. Everton beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-2 in the FA Cup final at Wembley, and Wilson returned to the same stadium later that summer as England defeated West Germany 4-2 after extra time.
That made him the only footballer to win the World Cup while an Everton player. It also gave him a unique Wembley double: no other player has won the FA Cup and World Cup at the same ground in the same year.
Colin Harvey remembered Wilson as quick and possessing “a real will to win”, but without the extroversion of Alan Ball. Harvey added: “Despite everything he'd achieved in the game, [he] would just say a quick hello.”
That modesty makes the achievement even more striking. Marco Materazzi and Shkodran Mustafi won the World Cup after leaving Everton, while Alan Ball joined the club after England’s triumph. Wilson alone carried Everton’s name into the winning World Cup team.
The next time Everton celebrates its great sides, Wilson’s story deserves more than a passing mention. His legacy remains a reminder that the most important player in a team is not always the loudest-sometimes, he is simply the one teammates trust when danger arrives.